Open Your Heart
by DataAndrd
Summary: Miley and Lilly find a new friend - Liley Oneshot


**A/N: Another little oneshot... after the kinda heavy stuff in my last two though, I thought it was time for some cutesy little fluff :) I'd like to dedicate this to two more of my favorite authors here, ALVINFAN07 and XTEXASGALX. I hope everyone likes it :)**

**HANNAH MONTANA**

"**OPEN YOUR HEART"**

Walking home from school one warm September day during their freshman year in college, Miley Stewart and her best friend Lilly Truscott found something that would change their lives forever.

As they neared the complex where they shared a small one bedroom apartment, something began rustling in the bushes nearby, and Lilly practically jumped into Miley's arms.

"What the heck was that?!" she shouted.

"Beats me," Miley replied. "Maybe there's some kinda critter in there?" Lilly reached for her purse.

"I've got mace!" she exclaimed. At that moment, a small dog with grayish fur walked slowly out from behind the bushes, panting heavily.

"I think you can call off the alarm, Lils," Miley teased her. She frowned when she noticed how thin and malnourished the poor dog seemed to be.

"Poor thing," she whispered, truly feeling sympathy for the small animal. "Looks like it hasn't had a good meal in days." Miley reached into her backpack and pulled out some beef jerky. Snapping off a piece, she held it carefully out towards the small dog.

"Here you go," she said to the panting ball of fur.

"Miley, what are you doing?" Lilly hissed at her.

"I'm just tryin' to help the poor thing," Miley replied calmly.

"It could have rabies for all you know!" Lilly exclaimed. As if had heard Lilly, the dog slowly and cautiously padded up to Miley and carefully took the piece of beef jerky from her hand. Then it jerked back, as though it was afraid she might change her mind. Keep a careful eye on the two humans, it placed the beef jerky on the ground in front of it and began to eat.

"I think it's more afraid of us than we are of it," Miley remarked. The dog finished its snack and looked up hopefully at Miley, wagging its tail. Miley laughed.

"Want some more, huh?" she asked the dog with a smile. "All right, here you go." She offered it another piece of jerky, which it took from her just as it had done before. Watching the little dog daintily eating, Lilly felt herself beginning to smile as well.

"It _is kinda_ cute," she said softly.

"I don't see anyone else around," Miley announced, looking about. "I think it's a stray." The dog finished its second piece of jerky and looked up hopefully again, this time giving a little bark.

"I think you've made a friend for life," Lilly quipped.

"The poor thing is starving," Miley said softly. She looked up at Lilly. "We can't just leave it out here." The little dog suddenly got up on its hind legs and started to beg, whining softly and wagging its tail again.

"_Her_," Lilly corrected with a smile. "Definitely got ourselves a little lady here."

"Okay, we can't just leave _her_ out here," Miley repeated.

"I guess we could take it to the pound…" Lilly started to suggest. Miley looked at her girlfriend with a horrified expression on her face.

"Lilly! They'll put her to sleep there!" she exclaimed. Lilly held up her hands in mock surrender.

"Okay, okay… I take it back," she said sheepishly. "What do you want to do then?" She knew what Miley's answer was to going to be even before she asked the question though.

"Well… I was thinking maybe _we _could take her in," Miley said carefully. Lilly opened her mouth to protest, but the wide-eyed, innocent look Miley gave her stopped her dead.

"Oh, _no_," Lilly retorted. "C'mon, not the puppy-dog look, Miles! That's not fair, you _know_ I can't resist when you look at me like that!" Practically on cue, the dog walked over and began to quietly lick the fingers of one of Lilly's hands, wagging her tail at the same time.

"Not you too!" Lilly whined. "What is this, a tag team?!" Finally, she shook her head and laughed.

"All right, fine… I know when I'm outnumbered! If I say 'yes', will you both quit it with the guilt trip, please?" Grinning, Miley jumped up and threw her arms around Lilly in a fierce hug.

"I love you so much!" she gushed. "You're the best!" Lilly smiled warmly.

"I love you too," she responded softly. "Now no more with the puppy-dog look, okay?"

"I promise," Miley said with a laugh.

"Well," Lilly announced after they parted, "if we're gonna keep the mutt, we need to come up with a good name for her." Miley nodded in agreement.

"What would be a good name though?" she asked.

"I dunno… how about Bella?" Lilly suggested.

"Bella?" Miley repeated. Lilly shrugged.

"I don't know… she just looks like a Bella, okay?!" Miley couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, Bella it is!" she chuckled. "Now we need to go get her a bed and food and stuff…!"

"All right," Lilly said with a grin, her girlfriend's enthusiasm proving infectious, "and tomorrow we'll take her to the v-e-t to make sure she's got all her shots and everything."

* * *

Two weeks later, 'Bella' had made herself completely at home with her new masters. For the most part, she was a good dog, but she did have her moments.

"Miley!" Lilly shrieked from their bedroom.

"What is it, hon?" Miley called back.

"_Your_ dog just chewed up another pair of my underwear!" Lilly shouted. Miley couldn't help but grin a little; Bella was only ever 'her' dog when she got in trouble.

"It was the green silk ones, too!" Lilly continued plaintively. Miley's eyes widened.

"Not the green ones!" she pouted. "I loved you in the green ones!" She looked down at Bella, who was staring up at her innocently.

"That one's gonna cost you, Bella," she chastised her pet. "You just earned yourself a time out, little girl!" Miley scooped up the every-hyper little dog and placed her in the small cardboard box Lilly had dubbed 'the penalty box'. Bella didn't like it one bit, and instantly began trying to scratch and climb her way back out.

"You know she's just gonna guilt you into taking her right back out of there," Lilly quipped as she emerged from the bedroom.

"I know," Miley admitted sheepishly. "What can I say, she's got me wrapped around her paws and she knows it!"

"You're just an old softy," Lilly teased her.

"Come on, you love her too," Miley retorted playfully.

"I love her more when she's not chewing up my clothes," Lilly quipped. She walked over to Miley and kissed her gently.

"You gonna roll over that easy when we have kids?" she asked, arching an amused eyebrow. Miley looked at her curiously.

"You… you want to have kids some day?" she replied uncertainly. Lilly nodded.

"With you, yes," she said gently. "Why… don't you?" Miey grinned.

"You know I do," she said quietly. "I wanna grow old with you, and have grandchildren playing around our feet. I just didn't think…"

"I know," Lilly cut her off with a gentle finger against Miley's lips. "I'm not good at talking about the future. After everything that happened with my parents, I've always been afraid I'd screw things up with you the same way. I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you, Miley." She looked up at Miley then, tears sparkling in her eyes.

"I do, though… I honestly do want to spend the rest of my life with you Miley, and have a family together... more than anything." Miley smiled, joyous tears shining in her own eyes at Lilly's heartfelt announcement. Still smiling, Miley pulled the other half of her soul to her in a passionate kiss.

"At least our children won't chew on your clothes," Miley laughed through her tears.

"Heck, if I can take what Bella throws at us, kids'll be no problem," Lilly replied with a grin. Bella chose that moment to begin barking to get their attention, a high-pitched yip that they couldn't have ignored if they'd wanted to.

"Go ahead, get her out of there," Lilly said to Miley. "I think she's done her time."

"Now who's the old softy?" Miley teased her. She walked over and lifted Bella out of the 'penalty box', then walked back over to Lilly with the dog in her arms.

"Now apologize to your momma for bein' a bad girl, Bella," Miley said to the dog, holding her out towards Lilly. The blonde tomboy obliged by lowering her head til she was at eye level with Bella.

"Are you sorry, Bella?" she asked gently. Bella responded by licking Lilly's face.

"I think that's a yes," Miley said with a laugh.

"Apology accepted," Lilly said with a grin. She petted Bella lovingly then looked up at Miley.

"Let's take the mutt for a walk," she suggested happily. "I'd like to spend the afternoon relaxing with my family."

"Hear that, Bella?" Miley said to the suddenly excited little dog she still held in her arms. "We're a family now."

"The best family in the world," Lilly replied warmly. The two soulmates reached for each other again, their lips meeting. Suddenly, Bella jumped up between them, joyfully licking both their faces as she wagged her tail back and forth and blinding speed. Miley and Lilly pulled apart, laughing.

"You think she's jealous?" Lilly asked, still smiling.

"Nothin' to be jealous about," Miley replied, playfully scratching Bella behind the ears. "We love you too, silly girl." Watching them, Lilly felt a sudden inspiration.

"Hang on a sec," she said, darting away. She hurried into the bedroom and returned moments later holding her digital camera.

"All right you two, get together," Lilly said, getting the camera ready. She took her place beside Miley, Bella between them, and held the camera up in front of them.

"Smile!" Lilly called out. The camera flashed, and soon Miley and Lilly were smiling at the first of what would be many family portraits throughout their lives together…


End file.
